Shadow Black - Keeping it Clean

[bdub85]

Highly recommend getting some sort of ceramic coating. It keeps the car looking clean for longer, and it looks great just after a regular wash.

I stick with Adams Polishes and just do the typical 2 bucket wash. Then, towel dry everything. Also, I like their detail spray for small touch ups.

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[JAJ]

Fellas -

What are your tips and tricks for washing your Shadow Black Shelbys? I need to give mine a bath and am a little nervous. I am going to go out and buy a whole new bucket, soap, etc because I don't want to be using the set I use on my Jeep.

What do you guys like for sponges, rags, car soap? Anything you love for the inside?

I had a Grand Cherokee now and usually I just take it to get done a few times a year. The Shelby deserves some personal attention.

I'm in Vancouver and the dealer set me up with DiamondKote on my last three (or is it four?) Fords. It produces an easy to clean finish that has no swirls. I've got it on my black Explorer now, and I had a dark blue Mustang and a black GT500 over the last few years. My black GT350 comes in June and I'll get it on that too.

As for washing it, I use plain (Vancouver) water in two buckets and those bright yellow microfiber cloths from Costco. One cloth in the first bucket used sopping wet for cleaning, the second one in the second bucket wrung out for drying. No additives in the water - no soap, no special chemicals, just plain old water. I never washed the GT500 any other way and when it was more than a year old, people that knew me were still asking if I'd bought yet another new car.

Part of the reason the plain-water cleaning works is that we have clean water here. The other reason is that it never puts any wax on the car. Modern paints, particularly with whatever DiamondKote is, are way more durable than any wax product. Wax is what dulls the finish as it oxidizes. If you never wax it, it'll take years get dull, and I'm not sure even then that it will.

The same applies to cleaning glass as well - use only water or water with ammonia with a microfiber cloth. Windex and other cleaners contain wax, and it makes a nice shine but then it gets dull and hazy and you have to use more to be able to see again. I do the inside of my glass about twice a year with wet microfiber and it's so clean it's shocking. Takes about six months to get hazy enough to do it again.

 

[rogers17GT350]

I had Opti Coat Pro done on one of my cars 6 years ago, sold it a couple years ago. It held up well. I have cQuartz Finest on both my current cars and absolutely love it. It seems to do everything Opti Coat did but it's also crazy shiny and seems to clean a little bit better. I live on a dirt road so it is a life saver. I hand wash (Gary Dean method) and then spray with carpro reload (which is made by the cquartz people).

 

[Blk2015GT]

The "coatings will prevent swirls" line is a marketing myth. Check any reputable detailing site for people not trying to sell you something. Nothing will "prevent" swirls other then good technique/products/car care. It may ever so slightly reduce the CHANCE of a swirl (or some chemicals from eating the clear like bird poop etc, but if you're again diligent about car care you wipe it off right away), but you're talking something that is 2-3 microns thick; not thick enough to stop damage.

Well PPF will, but that's w hole other animal and much more expensive.

I know many consumers have talked themselves into all of the ceramic coating hype to justify their $1,000+ purchases; but most of it simply isn't true as advertised.

I will polish my black car myself every 12-18 months for 2 hours or so and keep the thousands in my pocket or for other mods/parts.

 

[65sohc]

After watching dozens of Modesta youtube videos I pencilled myself in for a weekend of overtime to pay for the extravagance of: Modesta coating, CR Spotless water deionizer, Karcher electric pressure washer, foam cannon, and Metro Blaster 8hp. car dryer. Modesta recommends allowing the coating to cure for three weeks before the initial wash which the installer will do this Thursday.

 

[Shift]

After watching dozens of Modesta youtube videos I pencilled myself in for a weekend of overtime to pay for the extravagance of: Modesta coating, CR Spotless water deionizer, Karcher electric pressure washer, foam cannon, and Metro Blaster 8hp. car dryer. Modesta recommends allowing the coating to cure for three weeks before the initial wash which the installer will do this Thursday.

How is your installer going about the prep work for Modesta? And how much is it?

 

[Wblv17]

just get it wrapped a different color.

 

[KGTG350]

Fellas -

What are your tips and tricks for washing your Shadow Black Shelbys? I need to give mine a bath and am a little nervous. I am going to go out and buy a whole new bucket, soap, etc because I don't want to be using the set I use on my Jeep.

What do you guys like for sponges, rags, car soap? Anything you love for the inside?

I had a Grand Cherokee now and usually I just take it to get done a few times a year. The Shelby deserves some personal attention.

Sounds like we have similar taste in cars lol. I have 2012 grand Cherokee (wife's dd) and I drive the shadow black GT350 as my dd.

As far as keeping the shadow black clean I literally use a microfiber and detail spray (local detail shop makes their own and it's amazing) to "dust off" the car. I am fortunate to garage my car at home and at work but dust settles in between that period pretty quickly.

So I do a microfiber quick detail before leaving home every time I drive it (15 min process) - use non streak window cleaner on the exterior Windows and clean off the exhaust tips. I have the car professionally washed and waxed once every two months.

In between those two months I quick detail (before each drive) and wash the rims with soap and hand mitten on a weekly basis. (Darn brake dust)

I wash my micro fibers once a week since dust and other things eventually accumulate. I only use my cleaning supplies on the GT350 and a complete seperate set on the jeep if and when I wash it.

For the interior I do not use any products. I gat a slightly damp microfiber towel and wipe down the interior with it. It looks just like it does when I picked it up from the dealer. Maybe in a year or so when things need conditioning I'll start using products on the inside. I still smell the fre sh new car smell and I've had the car for 4 months now almost.

Everyone has their own way of doing things. Main thing is that you enjoy doing it!

Hope your enjoying your cars this sunday!

 

[jvandy50]

The "coatings will prevent swirls" line is a marketing myth. Check any reputable detailing site for people not trying to sell you something. Nothing will "prevent" swirls other then good technique/products/car care. It may ever so slightly reduce the CHANCE of a swirl (or some chemicals from eating the clear like bird poop etc, but if you're again diligent about car care you wipe it off right away), but you're talking something that is 2-3 microns thick; not thick enough to stop damage.

Well PPF will, but that's w hole other animal and much more expensive.

I know many consumers have talked themselves into all of the ceramic coating hype to justify their $1,000+ purchases; but most of it simply isn't true as advertised.

I will polish my black car myself every 12-18 months for 2 hours or so and keep the thousands in my pocket or for other mods/parts.

I know this thread is old sorry, but I'm looking into territory unknown with some of these products for my new SB 350. I'm in Arkansas so detail shops aren't on every corner and I'm not sure I'd trust em to touch my car anyway. Any products you guys use yourself that you recommend?

I also have a jeep, but that poor thing rarely gets washed so nothing is shared between the two.

Thanks!

 

[El Diablo]

My trick is to never wash it ;)



Or... rarely every wash it.

I immediately did a paint correction and Xpel protected everything but the doors and the rear end of the car.

every couple of months I get a hand wash and wax at the local detail shop and the car looks sharp.

 

[stanglife]

The "coatings will prevent swirls" line is a marketing myth. Check any reputable detailing site for people not trying to sell you something. Nothing will "prevent" swirls other then good technique/products/car care. It may ever so slightly reduce the CHANCE of a swirl (or some chemicals from eating the clear like bird poop etc, but if you're again diligent about car care you wipe it off right away), but you're talking something that is 2-3 microns thick; not thick enough to stop damage.

Well PPF will, but that's w hole other animal and much more expensive.

I know many consumers have talked themselves into all of the ceramic coating hype to justify their $1,000+ purchases; but most of it simply isn't true as advertised.

I will polish my black car myself every 12-18 months for 2 hours or so and keep the thousands in my pocket or for other mods/parts.

This is so close to 100% true. Most scratches and swirls *which are scratches* that would happen without a "coating" will still occur with a coating. Coatings DO generally keep more stuff from sticking to a car and will also allow more things that do stick, to be removed with water...and in doing so helps to prevent contamination of whatever you use to wash the car....which helps prevent swirls. It's not some magic substance that automatically means that you aren't getting any swirls, though.

 

[Cfirekirch]

My trick is to never wash it ;)



Or... rarely every wash it.

I immediately did a paint correction and Xpel protected everything but the doors and the rear end of the car.

every couple of months I get a hand wash and wax at the local detail shop and the car looks sharp.

How often do you clean your wheels? I find they get coated with brake dust quick!

 

[2015Etrac]

Buy a good random orbital polisher, pads, and polish. I hit my shadow black car every 6 months or so to get rid of swirls. For washes use the 2 bucket method, soft wash mits, and a leaf blower to dry it as much as possible. I then use a microfiber and detail spray to finish drying the car. I also wax it every month.

 

[2015Etrac]

Also, for exterior plastic I use Aerospace 303 protectant every 2 or 3 weeks after a wash. It keeps the stock look and add's UV protection. For the interior trim and displays I use Cockpit Premium, it cleans, and leave no residue at all, it completely dries and will not change the trim color at all unlike some other products. I hate any products that change the matte finish to a darker or shinier tone.

 

[ThreeFiveO]

Chemical guys has a wide array of products. Not sure what collects the most dust on this car. Wheels or rear fascia?

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